Are You a Sweat-Hog or a Swami?

As yoga's popularity swells, so does the number of hatha yoga styles. Many have been around for decades. Other styles pop up as yoga teachers try to put a personal stamp on their classes and differentiate themselves in the crowded marketplace. Sivananda Yoga, Jivamukti Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga. Bikram, Integral, ISHTA, Kripaluand more. How do you know which yoga style is right for you?

The range of choices can be bewildering, especially if you're a brand new student. But even old yoga hands who've been rolling out their mats in the same studio since the patchouli-and-peasant-skirts days of the 1970s can use some guidance when they want to check out other approaches to the practice. And so, mindful of our civic duty, we at Yoga Journal solemnly assumed tongue-in-cheek mudra and divided the hatha yoga world into four main categories, generating a self-test guaranteed to magically indicate the yoga class towards which all your past lives have been karmically pointing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

1. How much of a workout do you expect from a yoga class?

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

If there isn't a puddle on my mat, I feel like I've been cheated.

I don't mind hard work, but I'm more interested in learning how to use my body in specific and increasingly subtle actions than in cardiovascular challenge.

I need to be very careful because of my injured back (substitute your medical issue: strained knee, arthritis, rotator-cuff injury, heart condition, etc.).

7. You receive an unexpected windfall that finally allows you to buy your dream house/travel around the world/buy studio time so your band can cut a record. You and your spouse celebrate with a few too many glasses of champagne. In your yoga practice the next morning you:

Crank the intensity of your asanas up a notch to make sure you sweat it all out of your system.

Experiment with liver-strengthening asana sequences and study which one best relieves your aching head and querulous stomach.

Berate yourself for breaking your strict macrobiotic diet.

Nope. Couldn't happen. You would never sully the temple of your body with intoxicants.

8. If your yoga teacher uncharacteristically started her yoga class with a 45-minute meditation, you would:

Struggle valiantly to sit still while you fantasize about advanced arm balances.

Attempt to concentrate on your breath, but find yourself analyzing her possible motives and intentions.

Prop yourself up with mountains of blankets and bolsters, glad for the time to baby your sore body.

Feel right at home. Meditation is always part of your practice, along with prayer and chanting.

Answers

By now, it's pretty clear how we've divided up the hatha yoga world: the Kickbutt Workout; the God-is-in-the-details Approach; the Therapeutic Regime; and the Nirvana Express.

The Kickbutt Workout. A. If you picked mostly (a) answers, you'll probably be most comfortable in hatha yoga classes that provide you with a strong physical challenge. Such styles include Ashtanga (and its many spin-offs, like "power" and "flow-style" yoga), Iyengar, Bikram, Anusara, Jivamukti, White Lotus, and Kali Ray's TriYoga.

God is in the Details. B. If you tended toward (b), you'll likely enjoy approaches that zero in on details and help you adjust your practice to meet your individual needs. Iyengar, Anusara, and Viniyoga are especially noted for this. The complexities of Tantra-based styles like ISHTA might also appeal to you, and some Bikram teachers may provide you with the in-depth analysis you relish.

The Therapeutic Regime. C. If most of your answers were (c), you may be interested in yoga primarily as a way of healing yourself and/or others. Viniyoga and Integrative Yoga Therapy both take a very holistic approach to healing; Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy uses poses to facilitate psycho-emotional healing; and some Iyengar teachers are highly trained in therapeutic, prop-aided application of asanas.

The Nirvana Express. D. If (d) was usually your preferred answer, you may favor yoga styles that emphasize spirit more than the physical details of asanas. You might feel most at home in Sivananda, Integral, Kripalu, Kundalini, Ananda, TriYoga, and ISHTA classes, though you can find teachers in any style who speak to your spiritual focus.

But Seriously, Folks...

Okay, we admit it: Our four-type categorization exaggerates the differences between schools of yoga. No matter what styleor stylesyou choose, any good teacher will eventually help you explore the less-familiar parts of your body, mind, and spirit. You may note that this self-test pointed you toward the yoga styles to which your personality already predisposes you. But you might want to consider a more <a href="/health/ayurveda">Ayurvedic viewpoint, balancing your habitual tendencies with their opposites. Are you always fiery and active? Ashtanga might be a perfect fitbut you could also benefit by occasionally exploring a more cooling, softer practice. Or if you're a kapha (slow metabolism, round-bodied) lover of Kripalu Yoga, maybe you should give a Bikram class a try. Oh, by the way, if you answered (e) on question #4yes, we know you're Krishna incarnate. Can we get some advice from you on our yoga practice?

Yoga Journal Senior Editor Todd Jones is an (a), with lots of (b) and (d) tossed in. Come to think of it, he's had his (c) periods, too.